A Few Remarks on the
“Justice to Judge” Letter Campaign
Steven H. Levy, M.D.
Dear Mrs. Burnier,
I am one of those persons who wrote to you in March 2011 as part of the annual “Justice to Judge” letter campaign. I would like to take the opportunity to respond to your recent editorial “On the Watch-Tower” in “The Theosophist”, July 2011, because it is remarkable and important for several reasons.
I am one of those persons who wrote to you in March 2011 as part of the annual “Justice to Judge” letter campaign. I would like to take the opportunity to respond to your recent editorial “On the Watch-Tower” in “The Theosophist”, July 2011, because it is remarkable and important for several reasons.
First, you begin
by openly declaring our mutual aim: to work for the future in which
humanity is unified in spite of differences of individual opinion. This is important for Theosophists to hear, as unity within the modern Theosophical Movement is a necessary foundation for the future unity of humanity. Second, you conclude the editorial by stating that in order to move forward to a greater understanding of life, we should not concern ourselves with human faults and weaknesses and we should keep judgments about personalities in the background. This applies to all Theosophists regardless of their Theosophical affiliation. Thirdly, and perhaps most important for unity in the Movement and the search for Truth, you open up an opportunity for dialogue among Theosophists about the direction in which we are preceding and if we are moving towards a greater understanding of life.
As the greater part of your editorial refers directly or indirectly to the relevance of the character and behavior of William Q, Judge (W.Q.J.), a prominent member of The Theosophical Society one hundred and twenty five years ago, to our present work and direction, you must think, as I do, that “Justice to Judge” is an important part of this dialogue. Although your contribution to the dialogue, so far, is that the events and actions of this past prominent worker are minor concerns that have little or no relevance to our present work and direction, the fine points you raise in your editorial suggest the opposite conclusion. The actions and events of his life, and our proper understanding of
them, are of great relevance and concern to our present work and direction. It is from this perspective that I write to continue the dialogue.
To the best of my knowledge, W.Q. J. was one of the first, if not the first, to mention that we are working for the future. Therefore, you probably owe what you have been told, to him. “We are really working for the future, laying the foundation for a greater day than this. We are all coming back together to carry on the work if we now take
up all our opportunities. We must act from duty now, and thus be right for the future.” [1]
In spite of the controversy that raged around him as to the correctness or incorrectness of his activities, what people thought of him, or declared what they believed were his faults and weaknesses, he kept his attitude directed to what really mattered – the cause of Humanity and work for the Theosophical Movement. He was a prominent member who is a prominent example in the age of the modern Theosophical Movement of what you suggest in your editorial we all do. Like you, he encouraged others to remain focused on the work. “If we had five hundred members in the Society loving one another with true hearts, not criticizing nor condemning and all bent on one aim with one belief we could sweep the whole world with our thoughts.” [2]
You point out that our thinking will not change who he was. Agreed, neither will it change who we are, but it will change what we do now and the effects our actions will have in the future. You also point out that we cannot make judgments on behalf of others, nor can we regulate what others think. True, we can only make judgments on behalf of ourselves and regulate what we think. To do this and to achieve an understanding of life and our function as human beings, we need knowledge of what is true. That knowledge can only be had by the search for truth in every department of nature. As an examination of theosophical literature suggests, this search includes investigation into the lives and teachings of all great and prominent Theosophists past and present, ancient and modern, eastern and western. As you state, he was a prominent member in the Society in the past, so the truth of his life and work is a reasonable subject for inquiry.
If W.Q.J. was a prominent member, he must have earned that status among the majority of his co-workers because of the quality of his work and the influence of his words and actions on others. As Theosophists one hundred and twenty five years ago were probably very much like ourselves in their devotion and values, many Theosophists today would probably be inspired and instructed by his writings. Indeed, some of us might have been working along side of him. Wisdom is never out of style or irrelevant.
humanity is unified in spite of differences of individual opinion. This is important for Theosophists to hear, as unity within the modern Theosophical Movement is a necessary foundation for the future unity of humanity. Second, you conclude the editorial by stating that in order to move forward to a greater understanding of life, we should not concern ourselves with human faults and weaknesses and we should keep judgments about personalities in the background. This applies to all Theosophists regardless of their Theosophical affiliation. Thirdly, and perhaps most important for unity in the Movement and the search for Truth, you open up an opportunity for dialogue among Theosophists about the direction in which we are preceding and if we are moving towards a greater understanding of life.
As the greater part of your editorial refers directly or indirectly to the relevance of the character and behavior of William Q, Judge (W.Q.J.), a prominent member of The Theosophical Society one hundred and twenty five years ago, to our present work and direction, you must think, as I do, that “Justice to Judge” is an important part of this dialogue. Although your contribution to the dialogue, so far, is that the events and actions of this past prominent worker are minor concerns that have little or no relevance to our present work and direction, the fine points you raise in your editorial suggest the opposite conclusion. The actions and events of his life, and our proper understanding of
them, are of great relevance and concern to our present work and direction. It is from this perspective that I write to continue the dialogue.
To the best of my knowledge, W.Q. J. was one of the first, if not the first, to mention that we are working for the future. Therefore, you probably owe what you have been told, to him. “We are really working for the future, laying the foundation for a greater day than this. We are all coming back together to carry on the work if we now take
up all our opportunities. We must act from duty now, and thus be right for the future.” [1]
In spite of the controversy that raged around him as to the correctness or incorrectness of his activities, what people thought of him, or declared what they believed were his faults and weaknesses, he kept his attitude directed to what really mattered – the cause of Humanity and work for the Theosophical Movement. He was a prominent member who is a prominent example in the age of the modern Theosophical Movement of what you suggest in your editorial we all do. Like you, he encouraged others to remain focused on the work. “If we had five hundred members in the Society loving one another with true hearts, not criticizing nor condemning and all bent on one aim with one belief we could sweep the whole world with our thoughts.” [2]
You point out that our thinking will not change who he was. Agreed, neither will it change who we are, but it will change what we do now and the effects our actions will have in the future. You also point out that we cannot make judgments on behalf of others, nor can we regulate what others think. True, we can only make judgments on behalf of ourselves and regulate what we think. To do this and to achieve an understanding of life and our function as human beings, we need knowledge of what is true. That knowledge can only be had by the search for truth in every department of nature. As an examination of theosophical literature suggests, this search includes investigation into the lives and teachings of all great and prominent Theosophists past and present, ancient and modern, eastern and western. As you state, he was a prominent member in the Society in the past, so the truth of his life and work is a reasonable subject for inquiry.
If W.Q.J. was a prominent member, he must have earned that status among the majority of his co-workers because of the quality of his work and the influence of his words and actions on others. As Theosophists one hundred and twenty five years ago were probably very much like ourselves in their devotion and values, many Theosophists today would probably be inspired and instructed by his writings. Indeed, some of us might have been working along side of him. Wisdom is never out of style or irrelevant.
“…We who are working in the movement now, believing in reincarnation and knowing
the force of karmic tendencies, must not forget that we are destined to return in future years once more to the same work . We should therefore study the pure spiritual, psychic, and metaphysical aspects of the doctrines, leaving disputes with the changing science of the day to those who are amused by it. For those disputes are wholly unimportant, since they will all pass away; but the spirit of truth will not pass, nor shall we who endeavor to find her and to understand what she says to us.” [3]
You state that it is a minor concern whether a person is recognized or not for
what he is, since “the fame that a person achieves in worldly affairs or circumstances is from a certain point of view of little consequence.” I know of no instance where W.Q.J. would disagree with you on that point, nor where he was personally concerned with recognition or fame. Those of us that have repetitively written to you on behalf of “Justice to Judge” are not concerned that he be granted recognition by anyone, but that the case against him be reopened so that individuals can, as you advise, discriminate to the extent their intelligence lets them, what is right or wrong in this regard. There can
be no discrimination unless information and knowledge is made available.
You state that our difficulties begin when a “change has to be made from the lower mechanical progress to a higher intellectual, moral and spiritual upliftment…” You add that The Theosophical Society is concerned with this movement. I could not agree more with these points. The Society would appear to benefit from every expression of the light of that truth that allows us to “take command by the higher nature.” The storehouse of wisdom contained in his writings is of tremendous practical relevance today because of the difficulties that still lie before us. Every possibility of misunderstanding and maligning, that obscures access to this light, should be removed from the path we pursue together.
Sincerely,
Steven H. Levy, M.D.,
Associate, United Lodge of Theosophists
NOTES:
[1] “The Promulgation of Theosophy” - This article is
from an address given by W.Q.J.
inLondon
15, 1892.
in
15, 1892.
[2] “The Promulgation of Theosophy”.
[3]The Earth Chain of Globes – an article by W.Q.J.
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